1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of electro-mechanical interfaces and more particularly to the design of a mechanism suitable for enabling rotational movement of an electronic device relative a base piece connecting the electronic device with one or more external peripheral devices.
2. History of Related Art
Laptop style personal computers (laptops) are well known in the field of microprocessor based computer systems. Laptops provide a portable data processing system in a relatively small and typically foldable package that is suitable for transporting from place to place. Typically, such systems are capable of operating on batteries for an extended period such that the system can be operated when the user is away from a source of AC power, such as when the user is in an airplane or automobile. Typically, smaller and lighter laptop systems are preferred to larger and heavier systems. Unfortunately, some features of laptops systems that would otherwise be larger for ease of use, such as keyboards and display screens, are intentionally reduced in size to achieve the desired laptop footprint. When a laptop user has access to a source of AC power, such as when the user is in his or her home or office, it is frequently desirable to connect standard sized peripheral devices to the laptop system to facilitate system use. Docking stations are typically employed to achieve this connection between externally supplied peripheral components and a laptop personal computer. A docking station includes facilities for connecting various peripheral devices to a laptop system. Unfortunately, when the laptop is connected to the docking station, the user is typically unable to move the laptop system except within a very limited range. Under some conditions, such as when multiple people are working on a project, it would be desirable to be able to rotate the laptop system even when the laptop system is connected to its docking station to enable multiple users, for example, to view the display screen of the laptop system without difficulty. Therefore it would be desirable to implement a docking station or other suitable device that would enable the free rotation of an electronic device such as a laptop personal computer when the electronic device is connected the docking station.